BGI Fellows Visit Center Makor

Sunday, January 30, 2011

BGI visited Center Makor to learn more about the Center and to determine how the two organizations could work together to enhance the Russian-Jewish community. The BGI fellows were welcomed by Vladimir Foygelman, president and CEO of Center Makor and Irene Belozersky, Senior Planning Associate at CJP.

The meeting sparked a lot of ideas as the center contains a lot of resources that the fellows could utilize in their current and upcoming projects. In particular, Irene discussed her newly founded Gesher project which is designed to build Jewish identity in Russian Jewish youth and foster their integration into the American Jewish community.

Vladimir Foygelman was very passionate about helping the fellows with their projects and sees the involvement of youth in the Russian-Jewish community as the next big step in helping Russian Jews find their Jewish identity. Irene also stressed the importance of having innovative programs led by young adults to interest the younger generation in learning more about their heritage.

After a brief discussion of how the center was founded and became so successful under the leadership of Vladimir Foygelman, the fellows were given a tour of the facilities. Center Makor boasts a beautiful synagogue with stained window panes, a theater, dance studio, conference/movie room as well as soundproof classrooms where students singing Yiddish songs do not disturb the children learning mathematics in the next classroom.

Center Makor is the lively home of Russian-Jewry community filled with numerous possibilities for engaging various community members of all ages. BGI sincerely thanks Center Makor for its hospitality and looks forward to collaborations in the future.